How you can personally join the fight against AIDS, the devastating illness killing millions

On Dec. 1 each year, we recognize World AIDS Day. On this day, the entire world unites as one to show their support for people living with HIV; as well as remember those who have died from the devastating illness.

Spread the Word

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS.

According to the World AIDS Day website, there are an estimated 34 million people in the world living with the HIV virus. To put that into perspective, that's nearly the entire population size of California currently affected by HIV/AIDS.

And the scariest part?

There are twice as many people with the HIV virus in the UK now than there were ten years ago. With this being said, there is a crucial need for fundraising.

As explained by (RED), a division of The ONE Campaign, "Life-saving anti-retroviral treatments cost less than 40 cents a day, yet most AIDS victims won't see medicine in their lifetime."

Wondering how you can help fight against this heart-wrenching reality? There are countless ways to donate, here are just a few:

See how people around the world are showing their support for World AIDS Day:

15PHOTOS

World AIDS Day 2015

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How you can personally join the fight against AIDS, the devastating illness killing millions

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 30: The Empire State building is lit with red lights in honor of World Aids Day on November 30, 2015 in New York City. The annual event is observed December 1. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Indian social activists and children release a World AIDS Day awareness sign tied with ballons in Kolkata on December 1, 2015. According to the UN AIDS programme, India had the third-largest number of people living with HIV in the world at the end of 2013 and it accounts for more than half of all AIDS-related deaths in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2012, 140,000 people died in India because of AIDS. The Indian government has been providing free antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment since 2004, but only 50 percent of those eligible for the treatment were getting it in 2012, according to a report by the World Health Organisation. AFP PHOTO/Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP / DIBYANGSHU SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

South Korean middle school students hold umbrellas as they form a giant red ribbon during a ceremony to mark World AIDS Day in Seoul on December 1, 2015. Official data show 9,615 South Koreans have been infected with the disease. AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JE / AFP / JUNG YEON-JE (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 01: A red Apple logo is displayed during the launch of the world AIDS day 2015 campaign at the Apple store Paris in 'Carrousel du Louvre' on December 01, 2015 in Paris, France. In recognition of World AIDS Day, 1st December, Apple Stores across the globe have turned the logo red. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

This picture taken on November 30, 2015 shows volunteers holding red ribbons above a piece of paper written in Chinese that reads ''Red ribbons bring warmth to everyone to prevent AIDS' during an event for World Aids Day in Chongqing. CHINA OUT AFP PHOTO / AFP / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 30: Members of the city's gay community carry a banner that reads: 'Mourning March' as they walk in a procession to commemorate AIDS victims the day before World AIDS Day on November 30, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. According to a recent report released by UNAIDS, the number of worldwide cases fell in 2014 though AIDS remains the leading killer of teenaged males in Africa and AIDS cases are rising in countries across eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, with the main means of transmission being heterosexual sex. According to the report 36.9 million people worldwide carried the HIV virus by the end of 2014. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

SURABAYA, INDONESIA - DECEMBER 01 : Indonesian students light dozens of candles as an act of solidarity with the World AIDS Day in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia on December 01, 2015. People around the world commemorate the 01 December as World AIDS Day aiming to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in the world caused by the spread of the HIV virus. (Photo by Suryanto/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Indian NGO volunteers light candles in the shape of a ribbon during an awareness rally on the eve of World Aids Day in Agartala, the capital of northeastern state of Tripura on November 30, 2015. AFP PHOTO/ ARINDAM DEY / AFP / ARINDAM DEY (Photo credit should read ARINDAM DEY/AFP/Getty Images)

An Indian couple walks past a sand sculpture on the eve of World AIDS Day, created by sand artist Sudarsan pattnaik on Golden Sea Beach in Puri, some 65 kms east of Bhubaneswar on November 30, 2015. World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1 every year to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and to demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. AFP PHOTO / AFP / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

A HIV-positive person from the Support and Care Centre of the Sumanahalli Society prepares 'red ribbons' on the eve of World Aids Day in Bangalore on November 30, 2015. Globally about 36.9 million people are living with HIV including 2.6 million children, while the global response to HIV has averted 30 million new HIV infections and nearly 8 million deaths since 2000. AFP PHOTO/ Manjunath KIRAN / AFP / Manjunath Kiran (Photo credit should read MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Indian school students pose for a photograph as they stand in the shape of a ribbon during an awareness campaign on the eve of World AIDS Day, in Amritsar on December 1, 2015. The UNAIDS agency says some 2.5 million Indians are living with HIV, many of them ostracised by their communities. AFP PHOTO/ NARINDER NANU / AFP / NARINDER NANU (Photo credit should read NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images)

A HIV-positive person from the Support and Care Centre of the Sumanahalli Society prepares 'red ribbons' on the eve of World Aids Day in Bangalore on November 30, 2015. Globally about 36.9 million people are living with HIV including 2.6 million children, while the global response to HIV has averted 30 million new HIV infections and nearly 8 million deaths since 2000. AFP PHOTO/ Manjunath KIRAN / AFP / Manjunath Kiran (Photo credit should read MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Indian school children and social activists hold candles and posters during a rally to create AIDS awareness on the eve of Worlds AIDS day, in Kolkata on November 30, 2015. AFP PHOTO/Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP / DIBYANGSHU SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Indian school children and social activists hold candles and posters during a rally to create AIDS awareness on the eve of Worlds AIDS day, in Kolkata on November 30, 2015. AFP PHOTO/Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP / DIBYANGSHU SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Indian school children and social activists hold candles and posters during a rally to create AIDS awareness on the eve of Worlds AIDS day, in Kolkata on November 30, 2015. AFP PHOTO/Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP / DIBYANGSHU SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)